EA Suggests Removing Windows Security Update news on 1UP describes a conflict between the new BF2142 patch and a Windows XP security update, being careful to emphasize that the conflict lies in XP, rather than the game. The issue is summed up in the following quote in the patch notes: "Players who have the Windows security update KB917422 installed may suffer from an application error when running Battlefield 2142. This error can be solved by uninstalling the KB917422 update."

Matrix Games announces the release of Starshatter: The Gathering Storm, the updated version of their space combat simulator. Word is:

Oct 19th 2006- Matrix Games, www.matrixgames.com, and Destroyer Studios are excited to release Starshatter: The Gathering Storm, a new, enhanced, and expanded version of their award winning sci-fi space combat simulation game Starshatter. As a special promotional offer, owners of the original Starshatter series can save 35% off the regular price. If you’re a previous owner go to http://www.matrixgames.com/discount/starshatterthegatheringstorm.asp to enable your discount.

David Heath, CEO of Matrix Games said “Once again we are thrilled to bring the Starshatter Universe to life. The artistic quality of this series has leapt to a new plateau, and we’re proud to have made the climb with this series.”

Starshatter: The Gathering Storm integrates elements of real-time-strategy games by allowing fleet commanders to direct the battle on a tactical level, launching fighters and directing destroyers to defend the fleet and annihilate enemy forces. Arm fighters for patrol or strike missions, send orders to your escorting destroyers and frigates to engage enemy starships, and defend the fleet from attack by enemy fighters. You are the admiral, and you decide how to employ all of your forces in battle. It is all up to you.

Frogster Interactive (thanks Frans) announces that the German edition of El Matador has received a rating, reversing a decision this summer to not rate the game (story). Now that the game has been rated as appropriate for sale to those over 18, the German El Matador Website is once again online.

A new Dark Messiah of Might & Magic movie offers a look at Arkane Studios' upcoming Source-engine action/RPG, available on 3D Gamers and GameSpot. Also, what goes on in Vegas stays in Vegas, unless you manage to get a peek at the new Rainbow Six: Vegas movie, showing off the antics of Team Rainbow in Sin City. The new clip is set on a map called "Mexican Border," leading us to think we aren't as clear on the geography of Nevada as we thought. The movie is available on 3D Gamers, FileFront, GameSpot, and Worthplaying. Also, a new Neverwinter Nights 2 diary movie #5 is now available from Atari Australia, showing off more of Obsidian's now-gold RPG sequel. This environments movie features narration from lead environment artist Tim Donley (thanks Frans). Finally, a new Need for Speed Carbon movie shows off the Pursuit mode in the upcoming installment in the racing series. The clip is available from 3D Gamers, FileFront, Gamer's Hell, GameSpot, and Worthplaying.

The official Europa Universalis III Website is live. The site offers a new Development Diary discussing how they have been working on balancing the strategy sequel by strengthening Poland.

A new The Settlers II: The Next Generation patch is now available, updating Blue Byte's strategy/management remake to version 9801. The patch includes bug fixes, balance tweaks, and other refinements. The download is available from Ubisoft (direct link).

• Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars
  The Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars Q&A on GameDaily talks more about the high-priced voice talent and other upscale production values in the coming ERTS sequel: "There is no question that high fidelity visuals make our games much more immersive. The new generation of hardware currently rolling out for consoles and PCs alike is allowing us to create stunning in-game visuals that you need a high definition display to appreciate. In the case of C&C 3, there is an added bonus: Our live action and high-end CG sequences can be played in high definition... and they look so much better that way."
• Threewave
  The Threewave Software Q&A on Shacknews is an article--format Q&A with Dan Irish discussing various things, including plans for ad-supported gaming: "It's an opportunity to play with your community, to play with your friends at a very low cost or at a free price point, rather than having to shell out $69.99 or $59.99 or even $49.99 for an opportunity that may be 20% better, maybe 30% better, but you had to wait two years for it to come out."
• Need for Speed: Carbon
  The Need for Speed: Carbon Q&A on FiringSquad talks with Scott Nielsen, associate producer on the upcoming racing sequel: "We spend a lot of time looking at real life street racing culture and then couple this with new gameplay features. From looking at some other key gameplay features, specifically territory acquisition, a natural, obvious partner to this is team racing and crews. We are always looking at expanding and trying new things with the Need For Speed franchise and the team racing was an aspect of gameplay that was interesting to look into. We’re really happy with the results and I think our fans will appreciate the team racing this year."
• Tabula Rasa
  The Tabula Rasa Q&A on Killer Betties talks with the TR team at NCsoft about their upcoming MMORPG: "Tabula Rasa is much more action packed and interactive than your average 'click once and wait for combat to end' MMO. TR rewards smart combat. Running around madly shooting at your target will be somewhat effective for those who enjoy a good zerg, but players who use positioning, aiming, and strategic combat will be rewarded."
• Dave Perry
  The 2Moons Q&A on MMORPG.COM talks with David Perry about 2Moons, and plans to bring this MMORPG to western audiences: "To cut it really short, the story is focused on a giant Door that when opened, beasts are unleashed into the lands of Haran and kill almost everyone. Two cities remain and once you step outside, you're in ever-increasing danger. It's up to you what you do, we don't lead you. You can be a wimp and sit around town all day, or go fishing, or you can gather up some friends and just see how far you can penetrate into the unknown. You will have no idea what's coming next and you can bet it's dangerous. You and people like you must try to survive until the two moons cross, only then will Trieste - the white lady, be re-incarnated and can once more seal the gate closed with her own blood."
• Vivox
  RPG Vault's Vivox Q&A talks with the folks behind this in-game voice communication software: "We provide in-game voice services that allow players to talk to each other while they are playing - one to one and in groups, character to character, avatar to avatar, within their guild, gang or corporation. Generally, we can create a voice chat channel to correspond to any traditional game text chat channel. Being able to talk to other characters makes the game experience better because it improves tactical command and control, strategy and social interaction."
• Star Wars: Empire at War - Forces of Corruption
  Wrapping up the Art of Corruption with Eric Kearns on the Petroglyph Forums is a podcast talking with Eric Kearns, lead artist on Star Wars: Empire at War - Forces of Corruption. Topics include his favorite maps in the RTS expansion, obstacles to its development, and violence in games.
• Dark Age of Camelot
  The Dark Age of Camelot Dev Profile on MMORPG.COM talks with the Mythic developer about her work and her interests.

• Medieval II: Total War on GameDaily.
• World of Warcraft: Burning Crusade on Boost Mobile Gaming.

• The Chronicles of Spellborn on 3D Gamers.
• Dreamlords on the Official Website. Thanks Frans.
• Trackmania United on 3D Gamers.

Thanks Mike Martinez.

• THQ Fight For WWE License.
• MPAA Ignores Usenet, Goes After Bittorrent.
• European Artists Defend Free Money From Blank Media Tax.

Thanks Mike Martinez.

• Battery recall, games loss prompt Sony earnings warning.
• Here comes the Upravlator.

Thanks Mike Martinez.

• EA Announces 30 Games in Development for PLAYSTATION 3.
• Blue Dragon helps boost 360 in Japan.
• Madden Wii explained by developers.
• Play Gears of War next week.

Thanks Mike Martinez.

• ICANN approves domain for Asia-Pacific.
• MySpace links trace violent 'gangsta' path.

Thanks Mike Martinez.

• Irked users seek clarification over Vista licensing.
• Opera releases security update.
• Microsoft blames Apple's quality checks for iPod virus.
• Music industry encouraged Visa to pull the plug on AllofMP3.com.
• Onerous Vista Activation—A Time Bomb?

• The Lineage II: The Chaotic Chronicle Epic Collection is now available, bundling NCsoft's MMORPG sequel with all five of its expansions…
• Rumor: Gears of War Coming To PC. As was rumored (and denied) in May (story). Thanks Mike Martinez…

Had a lovely time attending the adoption dealie today. It was a very touching event, and the Judge handled things very nicely. I just can't get over the size and scope of the courtroom where this all went on. This was a Surrogate's court, but this giant ornate room covered in carved wood and other finery looked like it should house the US Supreme Court or something. Wow.

Ornate Links!	Thanks Mike Martinez and Ant.
Science:	Mission to Save Hubble Could Put Astronauts at Risk. A giant hop for robot-kind.
Media:	The Ugly History of CS:S Hitboxes. Mostly looks like "leading" to me (shrug). Chimp plays Pacman.
Follow-ups:	Invisibility Cloak Sees Light of Day. Ozone Hole at Record Size.

Dracula Twins spine-tingling PC demo now available announces the availability of a multilingual demo for Dracula Twins, the upcoming casual action game featuring the fraternal pair delivered by Dr. Acula. Word is: "The playable demo includes seven spooky stages set in the graveyards just outside the Dracula castle in Transylvania. Featuring 2 playable characters, the demo allows you to take on Doctor Lifelust and his undead minions playing as Drac or Dracana!" The download is available on the Legendo Website and mirrored on 3D Gamers, FileFront, Gamer's Hell, and Worthplaying.

Running With Scissors' Sharpens POSTAL III for Xbox 360 and PC is the press release officially announcing Running With Scissors' first-person shooter sequel, following last night's indications that the project is underway (story). The announcement confirms the use of the Source engine, the participation of Akella as publisher, and a 2008 release date:

Tucson, AZ Almost a decade after the release of POSTAL, Running With Scissors (RWS), the creators behind the dark comedic video game franchise has announced development of POSTAL III, the first game in the long-running series aimed at both the computer and videogame console markets.

Currently in development for the Xbox 360 and PC systems, POSTAL III will employ the Source engine (the same technology Valve® created to drive Half-Life® 2) to deliver a new and advanced technical level of social satire and politically incorrect virtual violence.

"We started this series back in 1997," recalled RWS CEO Vince Desi, "and while the franchise has grown into an international computer game sensation during that time, it has always been our goal to bring it to the videogame console marketplace. For many years I’ve been asked by gamers around the world when POSTAL will appear on console. I’m so proud to be able to answer our fans' prayers."

POSTAL III will include motion-captured performances by a wide array of celebrities – from film stars to Playboy Playmates – as well as a storyline that offers gamers vast latitude in terms of their behavior. "We've always maintained since publishing the original POSTAL that the game is only as violent as the player wants it to be and we're committed to expanding this unique form of gameplay in this next addition to the ongoing storyline," Desi vowed.

Andrew Belkin, Producer for Akella stated “We here at Akella are big fans of the POSTAL series and so being involved in production of POSTAL III is both great fun and an honor for us. In cooperation with RWS talent I believe POSTAL III will be the sickest and craziest game ever! Definitely, this is the first project of such scale and a major step forward for our company”

The player will once again be cast as the nameless "Postal Dude," the star of all previous versions of the game, including POSTAL 2: Share The Pain and POSTAL 2: Apocalypse Weekend. POSTAL III is scheduled for release some time in 2008.

For more information on cool POSTAL products and gear, visit our new expanded site www.gopostal.com.

SpellForce 2: Dragon Storm - Official Release In The First Quarter 2007 announces the planned release date for Phenomic's SpellForce 2 add-on is first quarter 2007, slightly narrowing a window that previously had been Winter 2006. JoWooD Productions explains: "Dragon Storm will offer once again raise the barrier in terms of quality and gameplay and will definitely be a highlight for all SpellForce Fans. Phenomic have the resources and the development time to present a gaming experience to the fans that will fully meet their expectations."

The Witcher GC movie is now available, offering a very high resolution look at cinematics from CD Projekt RED's upcoming action/RPG. The trailer is available on 3D Gamers, FileFront, Gamer's Hell, and Worthplaying.

• Battlefield 2142
  The Battlefield 2142 Q&A on FiringSquad talks with Marcus Nilsson about DICE's new multiplayer shooter sequel: "We have worked very hard to create an immersive experience for any FPS fan. One thing that very much jeopardizes the sandbox experience we worked so hard to create are those few individuals that take unfair advantage of exploits. The community is creative and find new ways of playing the game that might be considered cheating, but we are confident that we will be able to prevent much of the unfair play from thorough testing, the use of Punkbuster and through DICE’s Live team’s perusal and ever-seeing eye on the servers."
• The Mark
  The Mark Q&A on Gameguru Mania is a publisher-distributed Q&A with Andrzej Wilewski and Jacek Matuszewski about the upcoming first-person shooter: "Due to the different environments, a huge amount of attention has been put into graphics. We tried to make the locations as detailed as possible, with careful texturing and lighting. Obviously the places are based on reality, and adopted for gameplay - we used tons of pictures, even taking trips to places to document them on our own (for instance the in-game castles where we took hundreds of photos for the purpose of texturing alone!). On the other hand we wanted to avoid making the graphics overly drab and dreary, so we made our choice and selected them carefully."

• 1701 A.D. on GameSpy.
• Europa Universalis 3 on Tacticular Cancer.
• Pirates of the Burning Sea on Game Club Central.
• Stargate Worlds on GamersInfo.net.
• Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Vegas on GameSpot.
• World of Warcraft: Burning Crusade on TenTonHammer.

• Hellgate: London on the Official Website. Thanks Frans.

Thanks Mike Martinez.

• Parliament discuss Bully concern.
• Microsoft takes step to carry out EU bargain.
• Lawmaker opposes taxing online virtual economies. Let's hope he's a high-level lawmaker.
• Stupid burglars accept texted ransom offer for stolen cellphone.

Thanks Mike Martinez.

• Microsoft admits first-party 360 release bungle.
• Play PS3 Two Weeks Early.
• Thrillville to Include Venerable LucasArts Tunes.
• Exclusive Splinter Cell Brings 1080p to Xbox 360.
• Japan Game Awards 2006: PS3 wins 3 and Wii gets 1.
• PS3 Controller Battery Is Irreplaceable.
• 100 Gb Xbox 360 hard drive , Xbox 360 mouse and 256 MB memory card spotted.
• Capcom's Charles Bellfield Q&A.
• Del Toro Investigates Gaming.
• Tetsuya Mizuguchi Interview.
• Lumines Live is lacking in modes.
• Guitar Hero makes cameo in Veronica Mars.

Thanks Mike Martinez.

• A.M.D. Posts Higher Profit, but Price War Hits Margins (registration required).
• Apple quarterly profit up.
• Optimus Keyboard Launch Date, Take 4. Thanks Ant and Digg. No more OLEDs either.
• The End User: No Barriers, No Charge (registration required). Thanks Neutronbeam.
• Morgan Stanley, GE Capital Boost SGI Out of Chapter 11.
• Microsoft Looks Within to Design and Test Chips (registration required).

Thanks Mike Martinez.

• Glossy versus matte: fight!
• Just how slow is the PSP when loading? Just how fast is the DS?

Thanks Mike Martinez.

• Updated Web browsers heighten competition.
• Gabriel Re-Shocks the Monkey Online. "Cover me…"
• AOL to make portals for kids, teens free.
• The Breakthrough of That Dance Video, the Future of YouTube and the Wisdom of Google. Thanks Ant.
• Microsoft releases Internet Explorer 7 Final (on Microsoft.com).
• EBay Reports That Profit Jumped 10% in Quarter (registration required).
• AOL to lay off 1,400 call center workers.
• RadioShack offers tech classes online.
• Pixsy offers video search for the people.
• Complete works of Britain's Darwin to be made available online.
• Second Life's Must-Have Stuff.

Thanks Mike Martinez.

• First security flaw signalled in IE7. Okay, who had two hours in the pool?
• Can E-Voting Be Fixed? And, If So, Why Isn't Anyone Doing It?
• Why Your Permanent Record Can Really Be Permanent... Even If It's Wrong.
• Music Industry Realizes P2P is Useful - The same week it learned that DRM is annoying...
• Zombies try to blend in with the crowd.
• Windows virus that landed on some new video iPods now fixed.
• Bloggers dismayed at Apple's response to iPod virus.

• Joystiq at DigitalLife 2006.
• eSplat.com - Digital Life 2006 Diary.
• DigitalLife 2006 Wrap-up - Digital Trends.

• So You Want a 600lbs Gorilla? on MMORPG.COM.

• Age of Empires III: The Warchiefs on GamePro.
• American Conquest Anthology on Strategy Informer.
• Ankh on GameShark.
• Backyard Baseball 2007 on GameZone.
• Battlefield 2142 on Worthplaying.
• Caesar IV on IGN.
• Civilization IV: Warlords on Gameplanet NZ.
• El Matador on The Armchair Empire.
• Flight Simulator X on 1Up and Internode Games Network.
• Football Manager 2007 on EuroGamer.
• Ford Street Racing on GameSpot.
• Gothic 3 on EuroGamer.
• GTR 2 on IGN, Gamerz-Edge, and Gaming Nexus.
• ParaWorld on GameZone.
• Sam & Max Episode 1: Culture Shock on Yahoo Video Games.
• Scarface: The World is Yours on ActionTrip.
• The Settlers II: 10th Anniversary on gameSlave.
• Sid Meier's Railroads! on GameSpot.
• Specnaz: Project Wolf on Playfuls.
• Tiger Woods PGA Tour 07 on GameSpot and Gamesradar.

• Behringer FCA202 Firewire Audio Interface on DriverHeaven.net
• Canon S3IS Digital Camera on Internode Games Network.
• Cooler Master NotePal P1 Notebook Cooler on Hardware-Review.net.
• Crucial DDR2 PC2-5300 (10th Anniversary) RAM on TechSpot.
• Gigabyte GA-P965-S3 Motherboard on FastSilicon.
• Jetart JACSG1 North Bridge Cooler on Bjorn3d.
• Lexar JumpDrive FireFly USB Drive on TrustedReviews.
• Mega Watercooling Roundup on Virtual-Hideout.
• Nvidia NForce 570 and 590 SLI Compared on GamePC.
• Raidmax Volcano 630W PSU on 3dGameMan.
• Spire Rocketeer III 500W PSU on XSreviews.co.uk.
• Thermalright HR-03 Cooler on Legion Hardware.
• Thermaltake Armor LCS VE2000BWS Case on Techgage.
• Thermaltake Toughpower W0116RU Cable Management 750W PSU on Tweaknews.net.
• Vigor Monsoon II Cooler on GotFrag Hardware.

• A new PDC World Championship Darts demo offer the chance to take your best shot at a sample of this sporting simulation. Grab a pint of ale and head over to Gamer's Hell for the download…
• Games that time forgot: Blade Runner. Thanks Mike Martinez…
• Doris Self Dies in Auto Accident At 81, "the world's oldest video game competitor." Thanks Mike Martinez…
• 5th Annual Come Back To Kingpin Weekend…
• History Channel in Shootout! with video firm. Thanks Mike Martinez…

Going to be making an appearance in court today. I'm not involved in any litigation, I am going to be attending an adoption, I dunno, ceremony? Whatever you call it, it should be an experience… it's always interesting to see our legal system in action.

Adopted Links!	Thanks Mike Martinez and Ant.
Stories:	Confident students do worse in math. 'Cause they're busy getting laid. Buying Body Parts, a Briefly Respectable Deed (registration required). Stingray leaps into boat, stabs man in chest.
Science:	Obesity may be linked to sleeping times.
Media:	Super Mario Brothers 2, defeated in 10 minutes. Top Gear Outtakes. Glock 18 firing 11 rounds in slow-motion.
Auctions:	BF2 4 Star General. Thanks Götz. Tickle Me Elmos Selling for $5,000.
Follow-up:	Gaming exec on trial for Ferrari theft.
Teh Funny:	UserFriendly. ActionTrip Comic Strip: Business Ideal. FoxTrot. Thanks Mox.